Event Date: Mar 26, 2025

Changes in hearing and vision are common in older people and are associated with cognitive decline. This presentation highlights age-related sensory changes and their connections to cognitive performance. Sensory function can be modified using technologies, environmental adaptations, and behavioural strategies. Improving sensory function can in turn improve cognitive performance. Proactive solutions to managing sensory health can benefit brain health and support people so they can stay active in every-day life.

 
This integrated KTE webinar series is brought to you by brainXchange in partnership with the Canadian Consortium of Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA).  
 
              


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Presenter(s):

Kathy Pichora-Fuller, PhD, Aud(C), RAUD, FCAHS
Kathy Pichora-Fuller is Professor Emerita at the University of Toronto and Adjunct Professor at Simon Fraser University and was a faculty member in the School of Audiology and Speech Sciences at the University of British Columbia (1992-2002). For over three decades, she has translated her research on auditory and cognitive aging to address the rehabilitative needs of older adults with age-related hearing and cognitive impairments, including a focus on social engagement and healthy aging. She received the Speech-Language and Audiology Canada Eve Kassirer Lifetime Achievement Award (2021) and the International Award of the American Academy of Audiology (2014). In 2022, she became a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences. She is Past President of the International Collegium of Rehabilitative Audiologists and represents the International Society of Audiology on the WHO World Rehabilitation Alliance

Walter Wittich, PhD, FAAO, CLVT
Walter Wittich, an Associate Professor at the School of Optometry at the University of Montreal in Quebec, Canada, is dedicated to researching the rehabilitation of older adults facing both vision and hearing loss. With a background in Psychology (Master’s from Concordia University) and Visual Neuroscience (PhD from McGill University), he further specialized in audiology during a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Montreal. Originally focused on age-related vision loss, Dr. Wittich now explores dual sensory impairment and acquired deafblindness. His research spans basic sensory science, medical aspects, psychosocial factors, and rehabilitation approaches to sensory loss. He holds the distinction of being the inaugural chair of the Deafblind International Research Network, a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, and Quebec’s first Certified Low Vision Therapist.